WOODSTOCK, Vt. (AP) – School administrators in Vermont have apologized for holding a girls-only assembly in which female teachers addressed dress code violations.

One educator told girls at the April 22 assembly that code violations can distract boys.

Woodstock Union Middle School Principal Dana Peterson apologized at a public forum on Wednesday, saying he “misstepped” by singling out girls. Boys didn’t have a similar assembly.

Peg DiBella, a teacher, says educators thought the private session would be less embarrassing.

The requirements include a ban on shorts with a less than 7-inch inseam and on sleeveless shirts with straps less than 3 inches wide. Girls say the requirements aren’t practical and that the way the rules are enforced humiliates them.

Superintendent Alice Worth says administrators will use the feedback to a draft a new dress code.